When I began working as a conflict analyst focused on the Middle East, it was impossible to miss the overlap of social and political identities. In Lebanon in 2008, competing political blocks were dominated by Sunni or Shia political parties. In the deeply divided Palestinian political system, loyalty to one of the dominant factions functioned more as a form of tribal affiliation.
It is difficult to look at the United States today and not be reminded of the same dysfunction. Here too partisan affiliation has become a form of tribal identity. Whether one identifies as a Republican or a Democrat is more than twice as likely as race, gender, education level, or age to predict one’s views on a range of policy issues. For many Americans, partisan affiliation now aligns with social identity.
The Republican Party is increasingly monolithically white and Christian, while the Democratic Party has evolved into a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional coalition. We are already experiencing the most immediate impacts of this merging of political and social identities: in the shape of profound polarization, including the dehumanization of opponents and paralyzed policy making.
